Drew Brees is the anti-free agent, staying home after striking a two-year, $50 million deal Tuesday with the New Orleans Saints while squashing the possibility that the Hall of Fame-credentialed quarterback would shake up the market as the NFL’s new year looms.

Sure, this was expected. Brees, 39, publicly stated in recent weeks that he had no intention of leaving the Saints. His coach and gridiron partner, Sean Payton, echoed the sentiment. No quarterback-coach tandem in the NFL are as joined at the hip as Brees and Payton, and nothing about a negotiation devoid acrimony or verbal grenades suggested otherwise. After all, Brees and agent Tom Condon had done business with Saints GM Mickey Loomis multiple times in the past. That Brees attended tackle Zach Strief’s retirement announcement at team headquarters Monday — then reportedly met with Saints brass — screamed “imminent deal.”

More than money, the primary pressure point was seemingly the deadline that would arrive with the start of the new league year. Had the Saints not struck a deal with Brees by 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, they would have had $18 million in accelerated money from the previous deal void and counted against this year’s cap. Now those dollars can be spread out with a new timeline. The new pact includes $27 million in guaranteed money, a person with knowledge of the deal told USA TODAY Sports while requesting anonymity because the team did not disclose financial terms.

Still, until Tuesday's talks concluded, there was at least the prospect that some team could bid on Brees. At least one, the Minnesota Vikings — the main players in the Kirk Cousins sweepstakes — reached out to Condon after the league-wide negotiating window opened Monday, according to the NFL Network.

But that was that. Packers legend Brett Favre might have finished up his career with the Jets and Vikings, and 49ers icon Joe Montana closed out with the Kansas City Chiefs, but there’s no alternative ending for Brees.

And he’s demonstrated that, despite his options, this was clearly not all about the money. If the buzz about Cousins looking at $30 million per year is legit — on the heels of the very real and new money that Jimmy Garoppolo received from the 49ers ($27.5 million per year) — imagine what Brees could have commanded on the open market. Or even from the Saints.

Instead, he may have even given the Saints a hometown discount rather than squeezing them for every last dime. He certainly made a statement about continuity, promise and connection.

The Saints finally got beyond the 7-9 road block that dogged them from 2014 through 2016, winning the ultra-competitive NFC South last season and finishing within a miracle touchdown in Minnesota of advancing to the conference title game. They can now try to take it another two steps and get back to a Super Bowl, with the biggest piece of the puzzle again locked up.

Yes, Saints fans can officially relax. It’s still Brees or bust in the Big Easy.